How to stop the System Tray (Unity) to stop "auto hiding"?

**iDudetu** · March 10th, 2012

Hi All,

I am not sure if I am posting in the "right" place - as this is my first post at the Ubuntu forums - please let me know if it would be better suited in another area.

I have noticed on my Ubuntu 11 install that the Unity System Tray - which I can only guess is the "equivalent" to the Windows Taskbar - keeps "hiding" whenever apps are dragged over it, or alternatively whenever app windows are made to cover the area that it occupies.

I would like to stop this "scrolling" / "hiding" behaviour! Ideally I want the System Tray to stay exactly where it is, on the left hand side of my screen, and I don't want it going anywhere under any circumstances.

Any suggestions on how to achieve this will be greatly appreciated.

Kind Regards,

iDudetu

**rg4w** · March 10th, 2012

If you install Compiz Config Settings Manager from the Ubuntu Software Center, you'll find in it a section called "Unity Plugin" - there you'll find settings to adjust the behavior of the Launcher.

**grahammechanical** · March 10th, 2012

By the way. That "Dodge windows" behavior has been removed in 12.04. And already people are complaining. They say they wanted it. You don't. Other do. That is life.

Also in 12.04 you can switch off or on the Launcher autohide behavior in the Appearance utility in System Settings. You will not need to install Compiz Config Settings Manager (CCSM) to do that.

Regards.

**rg4w** · March 10th, 2012

Originally Posted by grahammechanical

By the way. That "Dodge windows" behavior has been removed in 12.04. And already people are complaining. They say they wanted it. You don't. Other do. That is life.

I don't understand why they couldn't just change the default but leave Dodge available as an option. While I prefer a persistent Launcher myself, Dodge was a truly innovative solution not found in any other OS, and it seems a great many people have come to love it.

Also in 12.04 you can switch off or on the Launcher autohide behavior in the Appearance utility in System Settings. You will not need to install Compiz Config Settings Manager (CCSM) to do that.

Unfortunately, while the CCSM Unity plugin currently provides four options for Launcher behavior, the new Settings panel in 12.04 provides only two (show or auto-hide).

Worse, nearly all of the other settings in CSSM's Unity Plugin aren't in the new Settings panel at all, requiring users to use CCSM to adjust those behaviors (or anomalies, depending on one's view of them <g>).

Ironically, this decision to go with unusually sparse options comes at the very time some members of the team would like to ditch CCSM altogether, thus requiring CCSM be maintained.

I can understand not porting everything CCSM does to the Settings panel, or even all of the options in its Unity plugin.

But as it is, 12.04 accomplishes something that to the best of my knowledge has never been achieved by any other distro: they have fewer options available to the user to adjust appearance than even Mac OS.

**iDudetu** · March 11th, 2012

Hi Everyone,

Thanks very much for your kind responses.

Regards

iDudetu

**iDudetu** · March 13th, 2012

Hi Everyone,

I tried the Compiz..., but it didn't change the behaviour of the System Tray as I had expected. I tried every different setting, and sure enough the tray still "disappeared" off screen, only to return when I moused over the very left edge of the screen!

To reiterate I just want to "glue" the System Tray in place so that it behaves like the default Windows Taskbar - in so far as it does not "hide" under any conditions.

What an annoying feature! But what it super annoying is that you can't right click on the tray, as you can in Windows, and dictate behaviour in a logical way.

For all those who like the tray to hide - I challenge you to do some work on your computer, because I am the hair and you are the tortoise - there is no way to be productive on a workstation with the tray hiding all the time!

Is it possible to configure this - or is it "bye bye" Ubuntu for another 5 years?

Kind Regards,

iDudetu